


Turnabout Is Fair Play

by Ysabetwordsmith



Series: Love Is For Children [4]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: #coulsonlives, Age Play, Angst, Aromantic, Asexual Character, Asexual Relationship, BAMF!Avengers, Bedtime Stories, Competency, Cute, Decompensation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Families of Choice, Family, Fear of loss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Nightlights, Nightmares, No Sex, Nonsexual Ageplay, Personal Growth, Shadow Puppets, Sleepovers, Storytelling, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, Teamwork, Unconventional Families, flangst, help that is helpful rather than smothering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-07
Updated: 2013-05-12
Packaged: 2017-12-10 15:59:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/787845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ysabetwordsmith/pseuds/Ysabetwordsmith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a mission goes awry, Agent Coulson falls apart. The Avengers put him back together again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bit of a Problem

**Author's Note:**

> A note on feedback: While it's not necessary to comment on every post I make, remember that I don't know who reads/likes things if nobody says anything. Particularly on long stories, I've discovered that I get antsy if there's nothing but crickets chirping for several posts. So it helps to give me feedback at least once, even if it's just "I like this" or "This one doesn't grab me."

The mission went wrong before it even began.

One minute, the Avengers were riding quietly in the quinjet. The next, Black Widow was yelling, "Incoming!" over Banner's startled, "That's a gamma signature!" A green ray slashed past the window.

"Abandon ship," Captain America ordered. He knew they might manage to dodge missiles; beams of light, probably not.

Iron Man could fly, and simply opened the hatch. Black Widow and Hawkeye punched out, parachutes opening above their seats. Captain America had his own chute strapped to his back, and barely made it out before the evil green beam reduced the aircraft to metallic vapor. Banner didn't need a parachute: he had the Hulk.

It took an hour just for Captain America to reassemble his team one by one. He didn't worry too much about that. He'd done scatter drops before, including unplanned ones. It was nice not having to do that over an active war zone, just the half-frozen and probably empty forest around an enemy base. With no flack spattering the clouds around them, they had all landed safely. _Thank God for that,_ thought Captain America.

"Bit of a problem," Iron Man said once they reconnected. "The nimbus of the beam killed all my external connections, so I've lost my comm and my link to JARVIS. The suit's insulation protected the internal components, though, so most of my gear still works and the arc reactor is fine."

Nice to know that Iron Man wasn't about to drop dead, but the break in communication posed a challenge. Then it turned out that nobody else's comm had survived either. They were completely cut off. That was a nuisance. The whole team remained intact, though. The situation could have been much worse.

"Oh well, let's get on with the mission," Captain America said with a shrug. "We can liberate a phone line or something after we take the AIM base." He'd done silent ops before too. Not fun, but he could work around the limitations.

It took them four hours to hike from the impromptu drop zone to the base itself. At least the effort kept everyone warm. Hawkeye complained about the length of the hike. Iron Man speculated about the gamma weaponry, with an occasional word or two from Hulk trying to relay murky input from Bruce. Captain America took advantage of the time to scrap the original battle plan and make a few new ones accounting for the shift in resources and line of approach.

They spent another three hours waiting for Black Widow and Hawkeye to infiltrate the AIM base and redo the surveillance, since somebody back at SHIELD had obviously missed vital information. Captain America and Iron Man sheltered under the boughs of a fallen evergreen. No one could see them from the base or the air.

Hulk simply hunkered down and made a boulder of himself. It was eerie to see the "giant green rage monster" so quiet, yet still clearly angry enough to maintain his form. Captain America recalled that Hulk was good at running and hiding as well as fighting. _If you didn't know what he was, from a few yards away Hulk would just look like a big rock,_ thought Captain America. It was impressive in a whole new way.

The actual fighting only lasted about an hour. They smashed through the outer defenses into the heart of the base. Captain America listened to the faint _thwip, thwip_ of Hawkeye's arrows and the surging rush of Iron Man's repulsors, over the chime of his own shield bouncing off walls to level the opposition. Hulk made a loud green streak in the corner of his vision. Black Widow was deadly silent and unseen.

Then it took three more hours for the Avengers to sweep the base and confirm that all enemy personnel were dead or captured. They also had to secure the equipment to make sure nothing was set to explode, summon reinforcements, or otherwise cause problems.

This led to a brief scene in the basement lab when Hulk waded into a herd of terrified scientists, picked up one in particular, and snapped the long chain that had tethered him to a wall. "John," Hulk rumbled. "Quiet."

The man clutched at the huge green shoulder and stopped screaming long enough to stutter, "Wh-wh-what?"

"I know the big guy looks like he's all muscle, but he likes scientists, and it seems as if he knows you. So if you could calm down a bit, that would help," Captain America said. He fingered the end of the chain, glanced around the lab, and noted that most of the equipment lay within the scientist's bound range. Put that together with Hulk's response, presumably courtesy of Banner knowing the man in question ... "AIM kidnapped you to build gamma weapons for them?"

The scientist nodded.

Captain America heard the whine of weapons charging. "Iron Man, don't cook the overseers. We need them for questioning," he said without looking around.

"Gentlemen, it's your unlucky day," Iron Man said to the AIM guards formerly in charge of the scientists. "You've just been spared from a quick death to be flung on the tender mercy of Black Widow. Of which she actually has none whatsoever."

Captain America looked at Black Widow's distinctly predatory smile and repressed a shiver. _I would not want to get on her bad side,_ he thought. She was one of SHIELD's best interrogators. Hulk's deep, booming laugh echoed through the room.

Eventually they found the AIM communication array. Iron Man made short work of its security, disabling the password protection and self-destruct programs. Then he patched in a connection to SHIELD. "Avengers reporting in, mission accomplished. We need pickup and a cleaner team," Iron Man said.

It was not Agent Coulson who answered, but Dr. Ross. She said only, "Acknowledged," to Iron Man before yelling to someone else, "Assets are alive, repeat, _assets are alive_. We now have a clear signal to the AIM base."

Captain America got a sinking sensation in his stomach as he correlated the explosion of the quinjet with their comms going offline.

Then Agent Coulson came on, ordering, "Sound off."

The Avengers obediently called out their names and conditions. Nobody had gotten significantly injured. Hawkeye whined, "I got a blister on my heel. A _blister_. From hiking for miles in boots designed for stealth rather than travel. This is why I am not infantry." Well, nobody had gotten injured _in combat_.

"Support teams en route," Agent Coulson said. "Iron Man, liberate whatever you can safely salvage of the gamma equipment. Dr. Ross wants to start analyzing that immediately."

"On it," Iron Man said.

Captain America looked around at the wrecked base, the AIM operatives laid out like logs against the far wall, Iron Man already tinkering with the captured appliances, and Hulk still balancing a skittish scientist on one shoulder. The process may have turned into a mess, but the Avengers completed their goal anyway. "Good job, everyone," he declared.


	2. Home Safe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers come home after a rough mission, in pretty good shape considering the context. Phil, not so much.

"So that scientist Hulk rescued, you really know him?" Tony said to Bruce.

"Yeah, John and I worked together in grad school for a bit," Bruce said. "It's hard to believe the Other Guy actually recognized him."

"Picked him out of a crowd," Tony said. "Listen, if he doesn't want to work for SHIELD, I would gladly offer him a job at Stark Industries."

"That's nice of you, Tony, thanks," said Bruce.

"Nah, I'm good with the moleskin, Natasha. I don't need to lean on you," Clint said. He still favored his blistered foot, though.

Steve listened to the chatter with half an ear, glad to have his team home safe. They had gone through a cursory debrief before SHIELD released them. Now they spilled into the common room, still damp from showering, and tossed away fast food wrappers. Betty had chosen to stay behind a little longer, intent on checking the confiscated gamma equipment to ensure there would be no immediately unpleasant surprises from it or its distal components. Phil had pulled her in after hearing Bruce's warning about the gamma signature; she had helped decipher readings of the AIM base. Phil himself was ...

Steve frowned. Phil was ... sort of vibrating in place. That bothered Steve, because Phil never paced, never fidgeted, always held himself under perfect control. Tony flitted around when agitated, but he was leaning lazily against the back of the couch with Bruce. Deciding when to overlook things, and when to step in, required some careful thought in a group full of self-sufficient but damage-prone people. On the Helicarrier, Phil had seemed fine, maybe a little tense on the ride home, but now something was obviously bothering him. Whatever it was, it was getting worse.

"Phil, what's wrong?" Steve asked quietly.

He was not expecting Phil to grab him hard enough to make him gasp.

"You were dead," Phil said into Steve's shirt. His hands fisted in the fabric over Steve's back. "There was enemy fire, the comms went out, the quinjet went down, _I thought you were all dead."_

Steve wrapped his arms around Phil. "Sorry about that," he said. "We're all okay, though. We're safe." Steve could hear Phil's heart pattering, faster and shallower than he liked.

"After the gamma beam, I called, I brought Dr. Ross to see -- thought the Hulk would show -- but she couldn't get a clear signal. She's good, put together a whole new scanning program, but there was so much interference. She said not to lose hope. Said _maybe,"_ Phil stuttered. "Then the base went to pieces, and, and we thought it was probably you or at least some of you but we still didn't know who or whether you needed help --" His voice broke off.

_I need to get Phil calmed down somehow,_ Steve thought. He rubbed the man's back in slow, gentle strokes.

"Shit, Steve, he's bleeding," Bruce said suddenly.

"What? _Where?"_ Steve snapped.

"Hands, I think. I can see pink streaks on his shirt cuffs," Bruce said. Steve could feel the gentle tug as Bruce tried to detach Phil's hands from the back of Steve's shirt. "Come on, Phil, let me have a look."

"I won't disappear if you let go of me for a minute," Steve said to Phil.

"It's embarrassing," Phil muttered.

Bruce's voice shifted to a softer, soothing tone. "That's okay. I've seen worse," he said. "Just open your hands for me, Phil. You know I won't hurt you or make fun of you."

Phil sighed and eased his tight grip on Steve.

"It's nothing serious. He just bit his fingernails down to the quick," Bruce said a moment later.

"You spent twelve hours thinking we were _all dead,_ and you're embarrassed because you _bit your nails?"_ Tony said incredulously.

"Not helping, Tony," Clint said.

"Steve, steer Phil over to the couch so I can take care of this," Bruce said.

"I'm fine, really," Phil protested. He dragged his feet at first, then gave in to the greater weight as Steve moved him toward the couch. Interesting.

"You've had your fingers in your filthy mouth all day, and you've broken the skin. I'm not letting you go without cleaning them," Bruce said. Phil huffed at him. "And don't argue with me, _everyone's_ mouth is full of germs."

Steve could hear the click and rustle of the first aid kit as Bruce opened it. Phil quivered against him, breath catching a little. One at a time, Phil's hands were peeled away from Steve's back, tended, and then just as carefully returned to their former position.

"All done," Bruce declared, putting the supplies away. "You can let him go now, Steve."

Phil pulled away and headed briskly toward the door. When he reached it, though, he paused and diverted along the wall instead of leaving. Steve watched him closely. It was as though something held Phil in the room.

Steve glanced around, catching the worried gazes of his teammates. Clint and Natasha leaned against each other. Tony was drumming his fingers over the arc reactor. Bruce, like Steve, watched Phil very closely. It unnerved all of them to see their handler lose his composure like this.

Phil started to lift one hand to his mouth, then stopped partway. Steve noticed that the first two fingers of each hand were covered in band-aids, the others pink at the tips but not bloody. He could still hear the rapid skitter of Phil's heart, the faint scuff of footsteps not quite steady against the floor.

_How do I fix this?_ Steve wondered. He couldn't stand to leave Phil in this much pain, not without trying to do something. He just didn't know what.

Steve had seen all different kinds of battle shock in the war. He knew how much it hurt to lose men in the field. To think them lost and then get them back? Apparently that wasn't something Phil could shake off readily. Though considering some of Steve's own experiences ... if Bucky had come crawling out of that canyon alive, Steve would have been a wreck too.

Phil's wandering path brought him near Steve. As Phil brushed past, Steve reached out and pulled him into a hug again. "Stop, Phil. Just _stop,"_ he said firmly. "The mission's over. Everyone came home safe. You need to stand down now."

"I know, I know that, I just. _Can't_. I can't," Phil said, his voice rough. "You need me, I'm supposed to take care of all of you and I lost you and I'm a lousy handler and, and --"

_"We_ are fine. _You_ are falling apart," Natasha observed.

"Oh God you have no idea," Phil said.

And just like that, Steve _did_ have an idea. It was something he'd talked about with the other Avengers, in case the unrelenting responsibility ever caused a problem for Phil. They had made a few preliminary preparations, but hadn't broached the topic with Phil yet. Steve thought they would have time for that, and now the time had run short.

"Tony, I think it's time for Project Turnabout," Steve said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Moleskin](http://www.ehow.com/how_6745832_use-moleskin-blisters.html) is a reliable way to protect blisters so they can heal.
> 
> [Signs of stress](http://www.headington-institute.org/Default.aspx?tabid=2695) may appear during or after a crisis.  People who work in high-risk careers tend to unravel afterwards, if they're going to do it at all (and everyone has _something_  that will push them over the edge).  If an outburst peaks quickly and then tapers off, it's usually okay.  If it seems to be getting worse, that's a good time to step in.  There are tips for [helping a friend get through a crisis](http://stress.about.com/od/relationships/ht/help_a_friend.htm).
> 
> [Battle shock](http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Battle+Shock) is one of the older names for [PTSD](http://www.helpguide.org/mental/post_traumatic_stress_disorder_symptoms_treatment.htm), [combat stress reaction](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_stress_reaction), and other war-related mental injuries. Sometimes a person may be shaken for a little while after a traumatic event, then recover; other times the damage lasts longer.


	3. I'm Carrying You to Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve decides that it's bedtime. This process gets a bit more complicated than originally expected.

"Yeah, good call," Tony said, his restless fingers flattening over the arc reactor, going calm all in an instant. "Let's make it happen. I'll see you there." He paused to trail a gentle hand over Phil's shoulders before leaving the room. Clint and Natasha did the same, slipping away in perfect silence.

"I want to get something from the kitchen first. I'll be along presently," Bruce said.

"What's going on?" Phil asked, stirring against Steve's chest.

"Shush. I've got you. Just be here with me," Steve said. He rested his chin on top of Phil's head. Phil leaned against him, not relaxed yet, but willing to go along with it. That was a good sign. Steve was the team leader and Phil's childhood hero, the one person whose lead Phil would most likely follow. Steve waited a little longer, to give the others a chance to get ready.

Then he scooped Phil into his arms.

"Rogers! Put me down!" Phil yelped. He squirmed in Steve's grasp. "What are you _doing?"_

"I'm carrying you to bed," Steve said evenly, "and if you stop fussing about that, you'll get a bedtime story."

Phil went rigid in his arms, and for a moment Steve thought this wouldn't work. Then the taut muscles relaxed, and Phil snuggled against him. "Okay," Phil said in a small voice.

 _I just hope I can do this right,_ Steve thought. He concentrated on living up to Phil's trust in him. Phil had taught him a lot about how to take care of people; now Steve had an opportunity to return the favor. The thought warmed him even through his hidden nervousness at trying a new variation.

When they reached their destination, Phil shifted and said, "This isn't my room."

"No, it's Tony's room," Steve said. "He's expecting us."

They stepped inside to find Tony, Clint, and Tasha seated on the edge of Tony's enormous bed. It was the only one big enough to hold everyone. Tony wore a sumptuous silk-velvet bathrobe over a faded t-shirt with a rainbow and prism on the front. He had clearly helped the others dress for the occasion, because Clint was wearing a similar robe over a plain purple t-shirt while Tasha had a black velour robe over a t-shirt with a skull on it.

"Welcome to Project Turnabout, Phil," said Tony.

"Flip," he said abruptly.

"What?" Steve asked.

"My name's Flip."

 _A different shortening of Phillip,_ Steve realized. "Okay," he said aloud. Carefully he set Flip's feet on the carpet. "Go get ready for bed. You can use Uncle Tony's bathroom."

As soon as Flip shut the door behind himself, Clint asked, "How's it going?"

Steve sighed. "I think it's off to a good start. He let me carry him up here. It's just ... harder than it looks."

"Yeah, well, nobody calls the Avengers for the _easy_ jobs," Tony said.

When Flip came out of the bathroom, Steve took his own turn, pulling his things from the laundry basket that Tony had brought out. His bathrobe was thick navy wool over a plain white t-shirt. He walked back into the bedroom expecting to find everyone in bed.

Flip was still fully dressed, arms crossed over his chest, glaring at Tasha. "I'm _not tired,_ Aunt Tasha," he insisted.

Tasha gave Steve a helpless look. That was a bit daunting; he'd never seen her so much at a loss before. _I can do this. I can make this work,_ Steve told himself.

"Yes you are, you just don't realize it," Steve said to Flip. He reached for the calm confidence that Uncle Phil always managed to project for them on game nights, tempered with his own experience, because he was trying to find a personal style rather than just mimic what he'd seen. "Now stop arguing with your Aunt Tasha. You are getting into that bed if I have to undress you myself."

A clear challenge flashed in Flip's eyes.

Steve took a moment to think over his options. Phil never did anything without a reason, usually several reasons nestled inside each other. Logically Flip would work the same way, just as each of the Avengers retained their core qualities on a game night. So he needed something out of this exercise, something almost but not quite within his reach for him to be angling after it like this. Therefore Steve could call off the whole project, ask openly for clarification, or try to figure out what Flip needed and provide it.

Playing a hunch, Steve hooked a finger into the knot of Flip's tie and tugged, loosening it just a fraction. Flip pulled away from him, hard enough to open the loop wider.

 _So that's what he needs,_ Steve thought, something to fight against, _something to push him into what he wants so he doesn't have to feel guilty for accepting it. Okay, I can do this_.

Steve shucked the tie off, then hooked an arm around Flip's waist to keep him from backing away while Steve undid the buttons on his shirt. It was simple enough to peel off the suit coat. Aunt Tasha took it from him and slipped it onto a hanger. Removing the shirt took more effort. As soon as Steve took hold of one cuff, Flip jerked his arm back. Steve moved with him, tugging the open cuff over Flip's hand, then working quickly to get the other sleeve off. The whole process required Steve to gauge his strength very carefully, using just enough force to overpower Flip without hurting him.

 _Though really,_ Steve admitted to himself, _if he didn't want this he could dump me on the floor_. That had actually happened in more than one sparring session.

By the time Steve managed to get the rest of the suit off, Flip was breathing hard, but he seemed oddly steadier than before. So that was an improvement. "Are you going to put on your jammies like a good boy, or are we going to have another wrestling match?" Steve asked.

Flip rolled his eyes. "They're downstairs," he said, "in _my room_. I don't want to sleep in just my undies."

"You won't have to," Steve assured him. "You have jammies up here too." Tony reached into the laundry basket he used for carrying all the supplies, and passed Steve the relevant package.

 _"Oh,"_ Flip said softly, as his fingers traced the star. "Oh wow. You didn't have to ..." His set of Captain America pajamas was distinguished from what little-Tony had by the absence of footies and the use of vintage-style flannel instead of modern fleece.

"What else could we possibly have chosen?" Steve said gently. "Trust us to know what you like."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When [comforting someone who is stressed](http://dailyplateofcrazy.com/2013/04/21/how-to-comfort-someone-who-is-stressed/), just being there and staying calm can help a lot.  There are meditations on the "[be here now](http://onehumanjourney.blogspot.com/2010/11/be-here-now.html)" theme too.
> 
> [This is Uncle Tony's t-shirt](http://www.t-shirts.com/pink-floyd-darkside-distressed-tshirt.html).
> 
> The original link died for the image of Aunt Tasha's t-shirt.  It's a black t-shirt with a white Grateful Dead skull on it, the one with the lightning bolt.  [This is the closest I could find](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81xEVEzQB-L._UX385_.jpg).
> 
> There are tips for [putting a child to bed in a positive way](http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-older-dad/201101/putting-children-bed-win-win-proposition).  Uncle Steve has the right idea, keeping things calm without giving in.


	4. What's the Story?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uncle Bruce coaxes Flip into bed for storytime.

Flip scrambled into his new jammies at top speed. "But I'm still not tired," he said once he was dressed for bed.

"Well that's a pity," Bruce said as he walked into the room. He set down a tray of mugs and a teapot that smelled fragrantly of hot chocolate. "I brought one of my favorite books to read, and I'm disappointed at missing out on storytime."

"What book?" Flip asked. He gave the hot chocolate an appreciative sniff too.

Bruce shook his head. "Nope, not telling. You aren't tired, so it doesn't matter." His bathrobe was blue-gray terrycloth over a lighter blue t-shirt with some kind of squiggle on it that Steve didn't recognize.

"I could _pretend_ to be tired," Flip said. He faked a yawn.

"I'm not convinced," Bruce said. He poured hot chocolate into the mugs without spilling a drop. "Maybe if you got into bed I'd take you more seriously."

Flip climbed into bed and gave Bruce an expectant look. He wasn't a large person to begin with, and the oversized bed made him seem even smaller in comparison.

"That's more like it," Bruce said. He handed around the mugs, starting with Flip and ending with himself.

Steve sipped at his. The flavor seemed hauntingly familiar, yet with a spicy note that reminded him of the fancy truffles Tasha liked so much. "This isn't my recipe, is it?" he asked Bruce.

"Mostly," Bruce said with a bashful shrug. "The Other Guy likes it better than Tony's gourmet cocoa powder, and I agree with him. I just added some cardamom and stuff."

Steve's recipe consisted of simmering milk with real chocolate, and just enough sugar to take off the bitter edge. Bruce had increased the sugar, and ... hmm, yes, that was vanilla under the chocolate. Steve hid a smile as he drank again. Of course Bruce knew every sleep aid discovered by man, even the old-fashioned ones like warm milk that people tended to disbelieve these days, that still worked anyhow. Maybe Steve wasn't being as discreet as he thought, though, because Bruce smiled back at him just the tiniest amount.

"I'm in bed," Flip prompted. "What's the story?"

_"The Tale of Peter Rabbit,"_ Bruce said. He pulled the little book out of his bathrobe's voluminous pocket and climbed into bed. "Scooch over and I'll start reading."

So Steve wound up with Flip between him and Bruce, Tony behind Bruce, Clint and Tasha curled together at Steve's back. Six people made for a snug fit, even in Tony's huge bed. It was surprisingly pleasant anyway. Steve wrapped his hands around the warm mug and listened to Bruce's gentle voice reading a story that Steve had grown up loving. The book even had the same cover art that he remembered.

Flip lay pliant and calm against Steve's side. He had finally stopped jittering and his heartbeat settled toward its resting state. Steve did not know what childhood experiences Phil might have enjoyed and would want to recreate, or had missed and would benefit from exploring anew. It felt good just to have Flip relax and let people take care of him for once.  
At least Steve had his own memories of love and comfort for inspiration. Clint and Tasha, although they knew Phil better, seemed hesitant with Flip, following Steve's lead more often than not. Tony clearly resorted to his innate generosity. Bruce had evidently learned a lot about dealing with children on his excursions around the world. Flip didn't hesitate to cuddle with whomever came closest. So that helped. Surely anyone would feel safe surrounded by a pile of superheroes.

By the end of the book, Tony was sound asleep and Flip nearly so. "Time to call it a night," Steve said. He plucked the empty mug out of Flip's hands and set it with his own on the nightstand.

"Don't go," Flip said, rousing enough to close his fingers around Steve's shirt and Bruce's robe. "I don't want to sleep by myself tonight. I don't want to wake up alone."

Steve's voice caught in his throat when he tried to reply. That one hit a little too close to home for him.

"Sleepover, yeah, we can do that," Clint said from behind, coming to Steve's rescue. "It's why we borrowed Uncle Tony's room, just in case." A slow shuffle commenced as people took off their bathrobes.

"If we're all sleeping here, then I need to be on the outside," Bruce said. He crawled over Tony and settled on the far side. Tony never stirred, even when Bruce peeled off his bathrobe and tucked him in. Watching how tenderly Bruce handled Tony's limp body, Steve wondered if the team took good enough care of Bruce when he passed out from the Hulk's exertions in combat. There was clearly a method to this sort of thing. Steve resolved to pay closer attention to Bruce's techniques; maybe he could learn from that.

"We need more blankets," Tasha said. "Clint steals." She padded to the closet and came back with an armload of extra bedding: quilts, fuzzy picture blankets, and a red satin comforter. Steve draped one of the soft blankets over Flip. The bed itself actually had five feather pillows on it already.

"JARVIS, lights out, please," said Steve.

The lights winked out, leaving the room in velvety darkness. "Goodnight, everyone," JARVIS replied.

Steve curled himself around Flip, who snuggled into the warm hollow with a happy murmur. It felt good to offer comfort and protection to someone who meant so much to all of them. Challenges notwithstanding, Steve felt that he understood a little better, now, what Uncle Phil got out of their game nights. The role reversal seemed a bit weird, but not as weird as the first time Steve walked into game night with no comparable experience whatsoever. This was just ... a reflection of the fact that they all took care of each other as needed.

It had been a long time since Steve had really shared his sleeping space with company, not counting a few times when he'd sacked out in the common room. He missed Bucky and the Howling Commandos with a dim, familiar ache. The vital bodies around him outweighed the ghosts, though. Clint was a comfortable pressure against Steve's back. He felt Tasha's hand ghosting down his side to settle at his waist. From the far side he could hear the faint snuffle and buzz of Tony snoring and the quieter rhythm of Bruce breathing. It did not take long for Steve to fall asleep, surrounded by his team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This is Bruce's t-shirt](http://www.krishnaculture.com/Merchant5/graphics/00000001/TS66%20Om%20Violet_300.jpg). The symbol that Steve can't read says [OM](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om).
> 
> Learn [how to make hot chocolate](http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/hot_chocolate/) from scratch. [This recipe includes cardamom](http://gildedfork.com/cardamom-hot-chocolate/), although personally I think I'd prefer using cardamom powder to pods.
> 
> Explore [The Tale of Peter Rabbit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tale_of_Peter_Rabbit).


	5. I Had a Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flip wakes up screaming. The Avengers take care of him.

A scream woke Steve from a sound sleep. He reached for Flip and got a harsh elbow in the ribs for his trouble. A moment later, though, shaking arms wrapped around his neck.

"I had a nightmare," Flip said, and it was very much still Flip and not Phil with that wavering vulnerability in his tone. "I dreamed that you all died and it was my fault."

That was pretty much _the_ team-standard nightmare, on top of all the personalized ones that everybody had. Steve could hear Flip's heart galloping, and couldn't blame him.

"We're all here safe. It wasn't real. It was just a bad dream," Steve assured him. Clint immediately scrambled over Steve's legs, scooping Flip off the mattress to cradle him between the two of them. Steve felt the bed shift as Bruce reached over to lay a hand on Flip. Tasha murmured comfort from behind Steve, her arms sliding along his body as she moved closer to reassure Flip of their presence. A gargling snore rose from Tony's side of the bed.

"Three, four," Flip counted under his breath. "Someone's missing ..."

"Tony, wake up, we need you!" Steve said sharply, giving him a brisk shake.

"Huh? Whuzzat?" Tony mumbled. He propped himself up on one elbow.

"Flip had a nightmare, Tony, he needs to know that we're all okay," Steve said.

"Oh. Yeah, that sucks. No worries, Flip, I'm right here," Tony said.

"Five," Flip said, and started crying into the soft cotton of Steve's t-shirt.

"It's okay," Steve murmured. "You found me. You found all of us. We're home safe." Steve had an inkling that this was not just about their recent wreck of a mission. It was about all the times that Flip had gotten into trouble and wished for a hero to save him, only to find that nobody would come. It was about all the times that Phil had sent people out, only to lose them because he couldn't get there in time. Steve knew what that was like. He held the trembling body in his strong arms, and let Flip cry.

The others knew what it was like too. They shifted into a loose circle, making a nest in the layers of blankets, so that everyone could touch. There was no changing the past, but they could form a bulwark of warm bodies and gentle hands to keep the worst of the memories at bay. They could be here _now_.

Tasha sang a lullaby in Russian, her voice soft and clear in the quiet room. Steve couldn't make out all the words, but he caught the gist of it. She sang of a cradle and the moon, and going off to battle, because Russian lullabies were often fearsome things. It suited her -- and the rest of them -- better than any candy-coated song could have done. _She has a beautiful voice,_ Steve thought.

Gradually the sobs dwindled away. Steve smoothed a hand down Flip's back. Around them the others settled back into their former places.

"Think you could get back to sleep now?" Steve asked Flip.

"No," Flip said immediately. "It's too dark."

Steve wondered if JARVIS had some kind of night light setting, and if so, how to activate it. He opened his mouth to ask and --

"I got this," Tony said. Fabric whispered, and then the pure blue light of the arc reactor flooded the room.

"Wow," Flip said softly.

Steve felt a touch of the same awe. Tony usually kept the device covered, protected, so it was rare for anyone to see the full effect. In the unlit room it was dazzling and beautiful.

"Here, give me your hand," Tony whispered. Shadows flowed across the room as he pulled Flip's fingers over his chest. "Only do this when I'm awake and I know it's you, okay? But you can touch."

Steve watched the tender play of light and shadow, wondering how he would ever manage to recapture this numinous moment in mere paint or colored pencil. He couldn't resist the idea of trying, though. There was something radiant about it that went beyond the simple revelation of light in darkness.

"See, Uncle Tony comes with his own built-in night light," Tony said as Flip withdrew his hand and curled drowsily against Steve again.

Steve couldn't imagine how Tony could joke about something so wonderful and so terrible, but then, that was Tony. He joked about everything, whether it was appropriate or not.

"Want to see something cool?" Tony asked Flip.

"Sure," Flip said.

Tony held a hand over his own chest and said, "Look, Flip, bunnies!"

It began with the simple shadow-puppet that Steve remembered from his own childhood, but quickly morphed into something far more sophisticated. The nimble fingers of an engineer brought to life a whole family of rabbits hopping, standing, and stooping to nibble on things. Then there came a man, and -- was that a _watering can?_

Flip laughed in delight. "It's the story!"

And so it was, the tale of Peter Rabbit retold in a darkened room by Tony's clever hands and the light of the world's greatest power source repurposed as a humble toy. Steve wasn't the only one who clapped softly when the story came to an end.

"Is this better for sleeping?" Steve asked Flip.

"Mm-hmm," Flip said, his voice blurry with relaxation. He snuggled into his place between Steve and Tony.

Steve tucked the blanket back around Flip. Tony lay flat on his back, evidently content to remain in service as a night light. _Crisis over,_ Steve thought.

Steve listened to the faint whir of Tony's arc reactor and the steady rhythm of Flip's heart slowing toward normal. He could hear the measured breathing of the two assassins stretched out behind himself, who always maintained awareness of every sound they made, even that one. Bruce was subvocalizing one of the funny foreign chants that he used to put himself to sleep. JARVIS was there, too, in the soft thrum of not-quite-silence that pervaded the whole tower. Steve fell asleep watching the cool blue light on the ceiling ripple in time to Tony's breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Nightmares](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightmare) are unpleasant dreams that can happen to anyone.  Although more common in children, [they bother adults too](http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/nightmares-in-adults).  Survivors of trauma frequently have nightmares; it's a [typical symptom](http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/nightmares.asp) of [PTSD](http://psychcentral.com/disorders/ptsd/) and there are suggestions for [helping someone through that](http://jdy-ramble-on.blogspot.com/2012/12/how-to-help-someone-with-ptsd.html).  There are also [personal](http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Having-Nightmares) and [medical](http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/when-nightmares-wont-go-away?page=2) ways to address chronic nightmares.  Learn about [how to tell if someone is having a nightmare](http://www.wikihow.com/Tell-if-Someone-Is-Having-a-Nightmare) and [comforting someone after a nightmare](http://www.ehow.com/how_2050015_comfort-child-after-nightmare.html).  Advice varies, but a good rule is to let them sleep through a mild nightmare but wake them up from an extreme one.
> 
> Aunt Tasha sings "[Казачья Колыбельная Песня](http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=1044&c=157)" aka "Cossack Lullaby." 
> 
> [A night light](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightlight) is any small, dim light used for comfort and safety lighting in dark areas.  They are especially soothing after a nightmare, or if people worry about tripping over unseen hazards at night.
> 
> [Hand shadow puppets](http://www.blifaloo.com/shadow-puppets/) are a traditional folk art form.  This is the [basic bunny](http://www.instructables.com/id/Basic-Shadow-Puppets/), but rabbits can be rendered in much more [elaborate action](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_5pEcOYW6M).
> 
> There are various [mantras for sleep](http://www.spiritvoyage.com/blog/index.php/3-mantras-to-help-insomnia/).


	6. Morning, Flip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flip and the Avengers have breakfast together.

Steve woke to the smell of bacon frying, which meant that either Tony had decided to cook in his quarters or someone was playing around with the air vents. Steve looked around the bed. Tony was still asleep, bare-chested with the arc reactor and a mess of shrapnel scars on full display. Steve feathered a sheet over him very delicately so as not to wake him up. Flip and Bruce were also sleeping. Clint and Tasha sat up behind Steve.

"JARVIS, who's cooking?" Steve asked. The rich scent made his stomach growl.

"Aunt Betty is making breakfast in the kitchen on the common floor, and expects you all to join her at your convenience," JARVIS replied.

 _Well, all right then,_ Steve thought. _She must have finished up her preliminary lab work, gotten some sleep, and decided to pamper us a bit_. He liked Betty a lot. Her relentless competence never ceased to impress him.

Clint and Tasha slipped out of bed and padded into the bathroom. After they finished, Steve took his turn next. Tony, now wearing his t-shirt and bathrobe again, got the turn after that.

"Thank you for everything," Flip said to Steve, wrapping him in a hug.

"You're welcome," Steve said. "Turnabout is fair play."

Flip giggled. "I wondered about the name."

"Yep, that's where it came from," Steve said as Tony left the bathroom. "Go wash up, then let's see what Aunt Betty made for breakfast."

In the kitchen, they found Betty presiding over Tony's lab-grade cooking equipment with flawless confidence. Clearly she had spoken with JARVIS, because she wore a lush sky-blue bathrobe with pink-and-burgundy roses embroidered along all the edges, over navy blue sleep pants and a t-shirt of Marie Curie. Pink bunny slippers protected her feet, their eyes rolling and ears flopping as she moved through the kitchen in a graceful dance.

"Um ... your slippers are _looking at me,"_ Bruce said.

"Of course they are," Betty replied. "I always keep at least one eye on you."

"Thank you for making breakfast," Steve said. He counted plain, blueberry, and chocolate-chip pancakes alongside a platter of bacon and a bowl of impeccably dissected fruits.

"You're welcome," Betty said. "We all have the day off. Director Fury tried to whine something about further debriefing to me. I reminded him I wanted to get at least six hours of sleep before looking after the team today, and the rest of you started the assignment earlier than I did so you obviously needed more time to unwind. I also pointed out that if he breaks the guy who usually does your paperwork, Hulk will come smash his favorite flying toys again. He was delightfully cooperative after that."

"That's ... quite an accomplishment," Steve said. Most people had far less luck convincing Director Fury to be anything approaching reasonable. Then Flip peeked out from behind the other members of the team.

"Morning, Flip," Betty said calmly. Then she reached out and tousled his neatly combed hair into a complete mess.

"Hey! Cut it out!" Flip protested.

"No. Little boys shouldn't be _too_ perfect. It makes them grow up into boring men," Aunt Betty said, a spark of mischief glinting in her eyes. "Now go sit down."

As Steve passed her, he felt a comb pressed into his hand. From the feel of it, this was Phil's personal comb rather than one of the spares kept in the bathrooms. He sat down beside Flip, who was futilely trying to restore order with his fingers. "Here, let me help," Steve said. He ran the comb through Flip's hair. Most of it lay flat. One lock seemed inclined to separate itself from the rest. On a hunch, Steve flicked it forward to fall over Flip's eyes.

Flip huffed a sigh, blowing the hair up. "Darn it, this always happens when I don't put gel on it. May I go back to my room for a minute?"

"No," Uncle Tony said. "You're too young to put product on your hair. You'd look like some rich old bag's show dog."

Flip snickered at that image, and agreed to settle for _almost_ perfect hair.

Betty put the first two platters on the table, which happened to be chocolate-chip pancakes and bacon. Then she headed back to the counter for more. Steve's mouth watered as he started forking food onto his plate.

Flip cast a dubious look at the chocolate-chip pancakes. "Uncle Steve, should we be having candy as part of breakfast?" he whispered.

"Do you want to argue with Aunt Betty?" Steve whispered back.

Flip shook his head.

"Then we're having candy with breakfast," Steve said as he put one of the pancakes on Flip's plate.

"Hey, if you don't want 'em, I'll take 'em," Clint said, grabbing the platter.

Tasha smacked his hand. "Share," she said in a quelling tone. Tony leaned over to snag a couple of pancakes for himself.

"Don't fight over the food," Betty said as she set down the rest of the pancakes. "I made plenty."

Bruce sat down with the fruit bowl and filled his plate with that and blueberry pancakes, then passed the bowl to Tasha. "I'm sure breakfast is perfect," he said.

It was, really. Steve basked in the warm glow of accomplishment that followed the completion of a mission, however harrowing the destruction of the quinjet had been. Flip had cheered up enough to enjoy the extra attention he was getting from the team. Bruce and Betty sat together, their knees touching, as they discussed the results of her early analysis of the gamma gear. Tony and Clint were trying to build a tower out of fruit chunks, much to Flip's amusement, while Tasha rolled her eyes at their antics. And of course the food was delicious.

After breakfast, Betty tipped her head at Steve and said, "Do you want to take over now? I just meant to get the day started ..."

"No ma'am, you're doing a great job. I wouldn't dream of cutting in," Steve said. The nice thing about reversing the exercise, he had discovered, was that it allowed the aunts and uncles to take turns organizing activities. It was a more fluid exchange of leadership which intrigued him enough that he wanted to explore it further.

So Betty herded them all into the common room, where she tucked herself up on the loveseat with Bruce. Steve wound up on the couch with Flip and Tony, while Clint and Tasha took the chairs.

"JARVIS, start the movie, please," Betty said. Steve was amused to see that she'd prepared in case he left her in charge. She made a capable strategist.

Steve laughed when the title came up, _Beauty and the Beast_. He hadn't seen the Disney version before, though of course he knew the story. This Belle seemed to be more of a bookworm than a beauty, though. He could relate to that.

Flip cast a sidelong glance at Steve and slowly snuck one foot up onto the couch.

"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable," Steve said to him.

"Yeah, it's our furniture, we can use it however we want," said Tony, who had his feet propped on the coffee table.

"Okay then," Flip said. He plunked both feet in Tony's lap and flopped on top of Steve.

Steve found that he didn't mind being used as a cushion, not at all. He stroked a fond hand over the flannel star on Flip's chest, then traced the broad red and white stripes. It felt good to return a little of the care he had received in such generous measure. Looking around at the rest of the team, he knew they felt the same way.

 _Turnabout is fair play,_ Steve thought happily, then settled down to watch the movie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Gymnophobia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnophobia) is a fear of being seen naked.  It can also cover self-consciousness about scars or other disfigurations.  The other Avengers have picked up that Tony typically feels uncomfortable revealing the arc reactor -- for which he has regrettably valid reasons -- so they try to provide flexible support in that area.
> 
> [This is Aunt Betty's t-shirt](http://images.weadmire.net/ebaytshirts/1117white.png).
> 
> You can find recipes for [plain](http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fluffy-pancakes-2/), [blueberry](http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/blueberry-pancakes-recipe), and [chocolate chip](http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Chocolate-Chip-Pancakes-2) pancakes.
> 
> [Taking turns in leadership](http://www.tanveernaseer.com/migrating-geese-a-lesson-in-leadership-and-collaboration/) is more efficient, as demonstrated by migrating geese.  Really.  The science backs it up.
> 
> Explore Disney's [Beauty and the Beast](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_and_the_Beast_\(1991_film\)).

**Author's Note:**

> [AIM](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Idea_Mechanics) is a Marvelverse terrorist organization specializing in mad science and superweapons.
> 
> Kidnapping and slavery may result in [PTSD/PDSD](http://www.bullyonline.org/stress/ptsd.htm), making it difficult for people to respond rationally even when rescue is available.  Iron Man is extra-sensitive to this issue due to his own experiences in [Afghanistan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Man_\(film\)).
> 
> Blisters really are a hazard of long hikes.  There are [ways to prevent them](http://www.bigskyfishing.com/hiking-gear/how-prevent-blisers.shtm), most dependent on advance preparation for a ground trek.  Careful [treatment of blisters](http://www.tommangan.net/twoheeldrive/hikehacker/?p=247) is important.  Just because you're a superhero doesn't mean you're immune to problems when dumped into a situation you didn't expect.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Cover art for "Turnabout is fair play"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12608004) by [Lehorin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lehorin/pseuds/Lehorin)




End file.
